Death of Khalil Yusuf Abu 'Aram

This morning, sixteenn-year old Khalil Yusuf Abu-'Aram, of Jinbeh, in the Hebron District was killed. At 10:00 a.m., while grazing his flock, Khalil encountered an IDF munitions remnant that exploded, causing his death.

Since 1987, there have been at least 83 incidents in the West Bank in which individuals were injured by explosions of abandoned ammunition. In these incidents, 33 persons were killed, among them 25 children (including an Israeli sixteen-year-old boy from Ma'aleh Adumim), and more than 90 Palestinians were injured, among them 69 children.

B'Tselem has repeatedly warned that Palestinian life cannot be taken lightly. IDF forces training in the West Bank, often close to inhabited areas, do not comply with the cautionary measures and conduct required by international law and IDF orders:

• The IDF does not place fences and/or signs around training areas;

• Soldiers do not make the proper effort to collect unexploded ammunition remaining in the training area;

• The military does not thoroughly investigate cases in which abandoned ammunition has subsequently exploded, and does not prosecute those responsible;

• There is no appropriate procedure to compensate injured persons and their families.